Retevolatus subspiniverpus, Stiller, 2021

Stiller, Michael, 2021, New macropterous leafhopper genera and species within the tribe Bonaspeiini from the Fynbos biome of South Africa (Insecta, Hemiptera, Auchenorrhyncha, Cicadellidae), African Invertebrates 62 (1), pp. 1-45 : 1

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/afrinvertebr.62.54721
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:BF44E5BA-47C5-4562-BC40-8CF482B6BBA7
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/7EE5B450-6062-47C8-B763-CFDA3ED93951
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:7EE5B450-6062-47C8-B763-CFDA3ED93951
treatment provided by	African Invertebrates by Pensoft
scientific name	Retevolatus subspiniverpus
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Retevolatus subspiniverpus sp. nov. Figures 2A-C View Figure 2 , 5A-G View Figure 5 , 9A-L View Figure 9

Material examined.

Type locality: Republic of South Africa, Western Cape Province, Nuwerus ; -31.14, 18.35 , 10 Nov.1971, J.G. Theron leg.

Type specimen.

Holotype male, pinned, with genitalia in a separate microvial. Original label: "South Africa, Nuwerus, 10-11-71, J.G. Theron" "SANC Pretoria Dbase CCDL27852" (blue paper).

Paratypes.

29♂♂, 16♀♀

South Africa • 29♂♂, 16♀♀; ibid holotype. SANC, BMNH, INHS.

Diagnosis.

Male aedeagus with shaft strongly curvate, C-shaped, subapex dorsally with single, straight, narrow, right-angled anterodorsad, sclerotized process; gonopore apical, incised between lateral margins; shaft with lateral margins coarsely denticulate (Fig. 9A, B View Figure 9 ). Style apophysis straight (Fig. 9E View Figure 9 ). Connective elongate (Fig. 9C View Figure 9 ), ratio of length to width 3.4-3.7; stem length to arm length 2.1-2.3. Pygofer process present basally on pygofer lobe, sublinear, acuminate, tubular, moderately sclerotized, orientation dorsoposteriad (Fig. 9F, G, I View Figure 9 ). Female sternite 7 with wide, shallow V-shaped notch, sternite distally narrower than base (Fig. 9J View Figure 9 ).

Male.

Measurements.

n=28. Length from apex of crown to apex of tegmina 4.51-4.75 mm. Length from apex of crown to apex of abdomen 3.29-3.61 mm. Crown median length 0.34-0.36 mm. Crown length next to eye 0.28-0.30 mm. Pronotum length 0.52-0.55 mm. Head width across eyes 1.24-1.30 mm. Pronotum width 1.16-1.22 mm. Ocellus diameter 39.3-50.7 µm; interocular distance 75.0-89.0 µm. Crown angle 120.6-124.1°.

Genitalia.

Pygofer lobe. Macrosetae absent, fine setae sparsely on lobe (Fig. 9G, I View Figure 9 ). Process origin is subapically on ventral margin of pygofer lobe, sublinear, acuminate, tubular, moderately sclerotized, orientation dorsoposteriad. Pygofer lobe desclerotized, acutely angled triangle, desclerotized lobe obscure, mediad of lobe (Fig. 9I View Figure 9 ).

Subgenital plate.

Length to width 2.0-2.2 times longer than width at confluence of subgenital plate and valve. Macrosetae 9-15, variable between left and right plate. Apex of style extended half way into subgenital plate (Fig. 9H View Figure 9 ).

Aedeagus.

Dorsal apodeme digitate, reflexed anteriad; preatrium absent; subapex dorsally with straight, right-angled, elongate, anterodorsad process (process sometimes broken, see Discussion below) (Fig. 9A, B View Figure 9 ). Shaft narrowly curvate, angle subtended by arc 87.1-134.3°, incised apically along dorsal and ventral margins bordering gonopore; laterally with coarse denticulation.

Connective.

Elongate, ratio length to width 3.4-3.7; stem length to arm length 2.1-2.3 (Fig. 9C View Figure 9 ).

Style.

Apophysis straight (Fig. 9E View Figure 9 ), length of apophysis 0.3-0.4 times greatest length through sagittal plane.

Female.

Measurements. n=15. Length from apex of crown to apex of tegmina 4.97-5.23 mm. Length from apex of crown to apex of abdomen 3.96-4.14 mm. Crown median length 0.38-0.41 mm. Crown length next to eye 0.31-0.33 mm. Pronotum length 0.57-0.59 mm. Head width across eyes 1.36-1.42 mm. Pronotum width 1.26-1.33 mm. Ocellus diameter 43.2-56.6 µm; interocular distance 89.3-103.9 µm. Crown angle 118.7-122.5°.

Genital capsule.

Sternite 7. V-shaped notch (Fig. 9J View Figure 9 ), relative depth of notch 0.38-0.45 times greatest length of sternite 7; ratio of length to width 0.56-0.65.

Valvifer 1.

Dorsal margin widely curvate, ventral margin more strongly curvate; anterior margin rounded, posterior margin acute (Figs 5B View Figure 5 , 9K, L View Figure 9 ). Ratio of length to width 1.85-2.04.

Valvula 1.

Shape in Fig. 5A View Figure 5 . Detail of sculpture, striate, at subapex (Fig. 5C View Figure 5 ), midsection (Fig. 5D View Figure 5 ).

Valvifer 2.

Similar to valvifer 2 in Figs 4J View Figure 4 .

Valvula 2.

Shape in Fig. 5E View Figure 5 . Detail of serration and sculpture at subapex in Fig. 5G View Figure 5 .

Valvula 3.

Macrosetae 4-5 in number (Fig. 5F View Figure 5 ), 36.8-66.1 µm.

Etymology.

Named for the subapical position of the spine on the aedeagal shaft, in Latin. Under, subter, spine, spinus, aedeagus, verpa. Gender masculine.

Distribution.

Nuwerus, Fig. 18A View Figure 18 , blue triangle.

Discussion.

The aedeagus of this species is strongly curved, with a subapical, right-angled dorsoanteriad process. Both or part of the apex and process of the shaft were damaged randomly in seven of 11 dissected of specimens, i.e. the process was broken at the base in four and broken at the apex in one specimen, and the shaft apex was partially or entirely damaged in two specimens. The pygofer process origin is ventrally and basally on the pygofer lobe, orientation posteriad, tubular and apex acuminate. The sternite 7 of this species (Fig. 9J View Figure 9 ) has a similar V-shaped, shallow notch to that of R. flexiverpus (Fig. 6L View Figure 6 ), but is narrowed distally, even more than in Fig. 6M View Figure 6 . The valvifer 1 is more elongated than in the other species of Retevolatus .